Side bearing



June 17,1930. A M BRENNE 1,763,843

S IDE BEARING Filed May 24, 1923 Patented June 17, 1930 UNITED STATESY PATENT 'OFFICE .AB/ILD M. BRENNE, F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO f W. I-I. MINER, INC., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE SIDE BEARING Application filed May 24, 1923. Serial No. 641,045.

`This invention relates to improvements in side bearings for railway cars.

It has long been common in the art of railway side bearings to have the anti-friction element automatically self-centering without the aid of springs or other expedients, the self-centering being dependent solely upon vthe action of gravity. VVit-h such.` devices, the anti-friction element may shift from its central normal position while free from load, due to vibration or jarring as the car passes over the track with the possibility that, when the bearing is suddenly brought into action, the anti-friction element will be off center and consequently operable for a distance less than that intended. When this occurs, it is evident that the anti-friction element will be stopped before the relative turning movement of the bolsters has been completed and the'anti-friction element will be subject to a sliding action, thus causing flat spots and deterioration of the bearing.

One object of my invention is to provide a very simple and inexpensive arrangement which will damp or check free movement of the anti-friction element while at its normal central position and not under load, so as to maintain the anti-friction element at its central position and always ready for the full intended travel when brought into play,

and without interfering with the automatic centering of the anti-friction element.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will more clearly appear from the description and claims hereinafter following. j

In the drawing forming a part of this specification, Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view, taken parallel to the length of the car, through the ends of the body. and truck bolster thereof and showing my improvements in connection therewith, the parts being in the position assumed under normal or neutral conditions. Fig. 2 is a vertical v sectional view corresponding substantially to the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

In said drawing the upper flange of the truck bolster is indicated at 10, and the lower or bottom flange of the body bolster is 50 indicated at 11.

The improved bearing consists, broadly, of four elements, namely, a housing A; an anti-friction roller B; a pin C; and a bearing member D secured to the truck bolster.

The housing or retaining member A, as'55 shown, comprises a casting of generally hollow box-like form having a top wall 12, vertically depending spaced walls 13-13, vertically depending end walls 14-14, and iianges 15-15, by which the housing is ce adapted to be secured to the body bolster, as by rivets 16-16. The retaining member A is provided on the interior thereof with an upper bearing plate as indicated at 17, the same having its ends extending' through 65 alined slots 18-18 in the opposite side walls 13-18 of the housing and retained in position by cotter pins 19-19 extending therethrough at the opposite ends.

The lower bearing member D, as shownj is formed as an independent casting adapted to be secured to the truck bolster 10, as by rivets 20-20. Said casting D is of more or less plate form and is provided on the upper side thereof with a longitudinally 'F5 curved or concave surface 21. A bearing plate 22 corresponding in curvature to the upper surface 21 of the bearing member D is secured to the latter by means of Hush rivets 23h23. Y i i The anti-friction roller B is provided with an axial relatively large bore 24 loosely receiving the pin C, which is of appreciably smaller diameter than the bore 24. The roller B is retained in assembled relation S- with the housing A by means of the pinV C, extending through the bore 24 and having its opposite ends projecting through correspending straight horizontal slots 25 formed in the opposite side walls 13 of the housing. C To prevent removal of the pin the same is yprovided with a head 26 at one end and a disc 27 at the opposite end retained in posi tion by the adjacent end of the pin being hammered over. The slots 25 are of special form and constitute an important feature of my improve ments. As shown, the lower edge Vof each slot 25 is provided with a centrally located depression 28, which is merged with the l1? horizontal portions of the lower edge ot the slot by curved edges 31. The upper edge ot each slot 25 is provided at the center thereof with a downwardly extending projection 29 having curved edges 30. The curvature of the opposed sets ot' edges 30 and 31 is made approximately the same so as to maintain substantially uniform the listance between the top and bottom edges ot each slot 25, both in the straight horizontally etending portions and the central portions o1c the slots, this distance being only slightly in excess oit the diameter of the pin C. lVith this construction, as the roller returns to central position, and more particularly when so returned rapidly, the pin C is positively cammed downwardly in the depression 2S, thus checking the movement of the pinand bringing it to rest within the recess or depression 28. The pin C being thus checked or damped in its movement of translation will, in turn, check the movement of the anti-friction roller B. Furthermore, when the parts are in their normal central position and 'tree from load, as shown in Fig. l, rolling of the anti-friction element B to either side of center is checked or damped by the pin C, inasmuch as the roller cannot move any appreciable amount without shitting the pin C, which is rendered comparatively dittieult by the relatively steep curved edges 31-31- In this connection it will be observed that, as the roller tends to more, the pressure supplied therefrom to the pin C is in such a direction that there is very little tendency to litt the pin and, on the contrary, the tendency is to torce the pin C against one or the other set of curved edges'l. When the roller is brought into operation, under load, the force applied to the pin C is so great, con'iparatively, that there is no difficulty in the roller then camming the pin C up out ot the depressions or recesses 28. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, after the roller has been moved to eitl er side of its central position with respect to the bottom bearing member D and the pressure removed from the roller, the latter will automatically roll back to central position down the curved surface of the plate 22, so that the roller is automatically self-centering without the aid of springs or other devices likelv to get out of order.

I have herein sho-wn my invention as applied to a body bolster bearing using a true cylindrical roller as the anti-friction element. Mv improvements, however, are susceptible of use in bearings of other types using rolling anti-friction elements of different shape and in bearings ot the truck bolster type. The specilie form disclosed and described is merely by way of illustration and not by way of limitation. All changes and modifications are contemplated that come within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

1, In an anti-friction bearing, the combination with an anti-friction roller having an axial opening; ot' a mounting for said roller permitting movement thereof to either side o'l center position, said mounting including a concave bearing surface for returning said roller toward central position under the influence of gravity; and means for checking said roller during its returning movement, said means including: a pin loosely carried in the axial opening of said roller and normally resting on the bottom wall of said opening, horizontal guide slots in the walls of said mounting into which the ends of the pin project, said guide slots being so located with reference to said bearing surface and said roller as to lift and guide the pin when the roller is moved to either side of central position, each of said guide slots having a central portion projecting below the upper wall defining the guide slot so as to be in line with the ends of said pin to bring about contact between said pin and said projecting portions when said rollei is returned toward central position under excessive speed.

2. In an anti-friction bearing, the com-Y bination with an anti-friction roller having an axial opening; of a mounting for said roller permitting movement thereof to either side of center position, said mounting including a concave bearing surface for re-- 100 turning said roller toward central position under influence of gravity; and means for checking said roller during its returning movement, said means including a pin loosely carried in the aXial opening of said-105 roller and normally resting on the bottom wall of said opening, horizontal guide slots in the walls of said mounting into which the ends ot' the pin project, said guide slots being so located with reference to said bear- 110 ing surface and said roller as to lift and guide the pin when the roller is moved to either side of central position, each of said guide slots having a central portion projecting below the upper wall defining the guide 115 slot so as to be in line with the ends of said pin to bring about contact between said pin and said projecting portions when said roller is returned toward central position under excessive speed; and centrally ar- 120 ranged means independent of said checking means for maintaining said roller in central position, said means including off-sets in said guide slot below the lower wall delining the same, said off-sets being adapted t'or 125 the reception ot said pin.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 21st day of May, 1923.

ARILD M. BRENNE. 

